Govt. announces major policy changes to diversify agriculture sector, increase food exports

Aug 16, 2015 News

By Jarryl Bryan

The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) has long called for diversification of Guyana’s agricultural exports, citing the country’s unhealthy dependence on sugar and rice.
With the 2015 budget presentation on Monday, Finance Minister Winston Jordan laid out the Government’s planned approach.
Budget 2015 saw sugar being given the lion’s share of allocations in the Agriculture sector, with some $8.2B set aside for the troubled GUYSUCO, while the rice sector is set to receive some $23B, to support payments to over 7000 rice farmers who were left in limbo as a result of the empty PetroCaribe fund.
But Guyana has one of the highest import bills in the Caribbean for non-traditional agriculture products. Cognizant of this fact, Jordan spoke of several policy changes the Government would employ, such as the increase in exports of non-sugar and non-traditional products by at least 25 percent spanning a five year period.
To meet such an increase, it follows that production must also be vamped up and Jordan addressed this imbalance, stating that with Government intervention agro-processed food such as shrimp, fruits and vegetables would receive greater emphasis, with the aim of increasing production by at least 50 percent.
The Minister pointed to some of the crops that will become the face of the diversification initiative in hinterland areas such as corn, soybean, cassava and legumes, in addition to fish and poultry.
“Research will be intensified on the development of new crops such as carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, turmeric, ginger and black pepper to achieve import reduction, while crop diversification for export will focus on commodities such as coconuts, cassavas, plantains, pineapples, pepper, corn and soybean, with a view to strengthening food security along the Coast and within the hinterland,” the Minister stated.

Livestock
Moving on to the livestock sector, Jordan conveyed that Government intended to enforce regulations governing the slaughter of animals, something that has a direct correlation on food safety. He also spoke of placing livestock on a more scientific footing in order to increase domestic consumption and improve exports.

Fisheries
Speaking on fisheries, the Finance Minister noted that the contribution of this sector to the GDP had declined, but stated that promoting inland fisheries and aquaculture would mean Governmental assistance to fishermen.
The forms this assistance would take, according to Jordan, are the rebuilding of co-operatives and simplifying the license system for individuals desirous of engaging in artisanal fishing.
Additionally, the Minister revealed plans for the increased presence of fisheries officers.
These officers, Jordan stated, will be placed in every region in order to provide support to farmers.

Agriculture Disaster Management Plan
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) initiated Agriculture Disaster Management Plan will also be revamped, according to the Finance Minister, in a bid to mitigate the risks farmers face through climate change events. To do this, Jordan stated, the Hydro meteorological Early Warning Systems (EWS) will also be upgraded.
This system came in for heavy criticism during the recent heavy rainfall and flooding that saw significant losses incurred by rice farmers on the Essequibo Coast.
“Government will support restoring and enhancing soil fertility, crop rotations, efficiency in water use, reduction in the use of chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, and reducing food spoilage and loss by expanding the use of post-harvest storage and processing facilities,” Jordan stated.
It is expected that the increased production of agro-processed goods will be increased by at least 50 percent and will come in effect by 2020.